East Hampton Uber Ban Ignites Firestorm in the Hamptons
A debate has erupted among Hamptons residents and weekenders after car-hailing service Uber was booted from East Hampton Town on Friday, pitting advocates of the disruptive business against supporters of the traditional taxi industry and town law.
Uber called on its clients to urge the town supervisor to reconsider. Uber fans flooded Supervisor Larry Cantwell’s office with calls, emails and tweets.
Bravo personality and Hamptons summer resident Andy Cohen pleaded with Cantwell not to ban his designated driver, i.e. Uber. Springs’ Tim Ferriss called the move “insane” and laid responsibility for the first post-Uber drunk driving death at Cantwell’s feet.
Others tweeted that there is never any excuse for drunk driving—with or without Uber—and alternatives to getting behind the wheel inebriated are available.
Cantwell is making the case that East Hampton is flush with licensed cabbies.
@uber cab partners need to be licensed like the 300 local cabs already are in #EastHampton.
— Supervisor Cantwell (@LarryCantwellEH) June 5, 2015
The Daily Show got in on the action, tweeting, “Uber pulls out of the Hamptons. Residents will continue to travel via tuxedoed man-servant piggy back ride.”
Main Street Drivers, a service that provides on-demand chauffeurs who drive clients’ own vehicles, saw its business increase 300% over the weekend in Uber’s absence, reports owner James Hirtenstein.
Hirtenstein, whose driving service is in its fourth season on the East End, says he has 75 local drivers between the North Fork and the Hamptons, all fully insured. He takes exception to Uber’s insistance that there are no reliable alternatives to its service in East Hampton.
“They’re bullies,” Hirtenstein said of Uber. “The fact that they printed the town supervisor’s email just shows the lengths that they will go to to get what they want.”
An Uber spokeswoman said Friday that the company obtained town licenses to operate in East Hampton in 2013 and 2014, but this season the town is requiring each driver to have a physical office within East Hampton.
According to East Hampton Town, prior to Uber pulling out of the municipality 20 Uber drivers were charged with operating as vehicles for hire without a proper license. Cantwell said Uber drivers were also found sleeping in vehicles, obstructing traffic and taking up limited parking spaces.
@tferriss @LarryCantwellEH idea that we have to let uber break the law or people will be justified in driving drunk is nuts. #300localcabs
— Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) June 5, 2015
.@LarryCantwellEH I am trying to be a responsible citizen. I don’t drink & drive. Plz don’t ban my designated driver in EHampton, @uber.
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) June 6, 2015
#TDSBreakingNews Uber pulls out of the Hamptons. Residents will continue to travel via tuxedoed man-servant piggy back ride.
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 8, 2015
Not allowing @Uber in the hamptons it’s just gonna increase the amount of drunk drivers there! (Cont)
— Sara Sampaio (@Sara_Sampaio) June 7, 2015
East Hampton just banned #Uber! Sounds like SUCH a #Hamptons thing to do!
— Dave Cullen (@DaveCullen) June 5, 2015
you guys WHAT are we gonna do about uber in the hamptons
— samantha duenas (@sosupersam) June 5, 2015
@wauckward yeah how will people in the Hamptons ever afford private drivers without Uber???
— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) June 5, 2015
Uber got banned in the Hamptons today. The cab shuttle industry in the Hamptons is such a racket
— Beardo (@beardobarstool) June 5, 2015
“Voice your support for Uber in the Hamptons” is the kind of call that really gets social justice activists out of bed in the morning 🙂
— Tariq Khokhar (@tkb) June 5, 2015
Last summer: no rosé in the Hamptons. This summer: no Uber in the Hamptons. What’s next?! #firstworldproblems
— Jacob Schulman (@jacobschulman) June 5, 2015
While Uber has pulled out of East Hampton, which stretches from Wainscott to Montauk, the service continues in Southampton Town.